These muffins have been made for decades when I come back to my family home at Kina Peninsula, on the coast west of Nelson. Always for morning tea at 10am, it just seems to work with a cup of coffee, chatting and watching the tide rise or fall. Our property is just two acres but it’s absolutely bountiful in every season thanks to the clever planting of fruit trees by my parents over a period of 25 years or more. As well as this, Dad’s vegetable garden is a triumph all year round and a treasure trove for me to plunder and cook with every time I’m here. This time, I’ve arrived in mid December and it’s all bursting with expectant summer goodness. Red currants gleam like jewels, the winter rhubarb needs harvesting and the strawberries are still producing. As I arrived, the first plum tree’s crop ripened up and although we have to fight the birds for them, there are still enough to go round. Citrus is the hero of today’s muffins though. There are a few trees heavy with orange and yellow fruit, hanging like Christmas decorations amongst the dark green foliage. My favourite for eating fresh are the sweet grapefruit. The lemons to me are essential for life and the rich tangelos and mandarins are perfect garden snacks. This is a very basic, pretty healthy recipe that I adapt however I like. Sometimes I make them gluten free, sugar free, dairy free. Here I’ve kept it standard and just added the fruit I have to hand. The chocolate is pure indulgence and so good!